Supermarket sushi doesn't have to be the "lesser" option between chef-made and pre-made. In fact, a news reporter discovered a hack to magically turn store-bought sushi into restaurant-quality rolls.
Start microwaving your sushi.
SoraNews24's reporter tried to recreate chef-made sushi at home using a microwave.
She placed supermarket sushi into the microwave, zapping it for 30 seconds on 500 watts. The reporter heard that half a minute was the sweet spot to excellent sushi that could rival a sushi craftsman.
When she took the rolls out of the microwave, she was surprised to see how fresh the sushi pieces looked in comparison to before! As the reporter pointed out, the microwave heated the raw fish just enough so that it became moist and glistened (pictured below).
Fresh, chef-made sushi is made made by hand, so the sushi rice and fish will usually be served and eaten at just above room temperature. And from the looks of it, microwave sushi does look ready-made!
The reporter admitted she had her doubts considering how this microwave hack breaks every sensible sushi-making rule by traditional standards. However, she surprised herself when she tasted a tuna piece: "It was absolutely delicious, and totally different to the cold supermarket sushi," she observed.
Japanese cuisine focuses in large part on distinct flavors and textures; this "mouthfeel" distinction is called Kokumi, which may be considered a sixth flavor. The microwave hack did its magic on the sushi rice, which the reporter described to be the right temperature for chef-made sushi rice.
Supermarket sushi, which is left refrigerated for long periods of time, will lose its flavor and harden the rice grains such that eating a piece tends to fall or crumble apart. But, the slight heating gave the rice a "fluffy, just-cooked texture" and added some fresh qualities to the fish, which could have been mistaken for restaurant-grade sushi.
The reporter said she was surprised by the microwave hack and plans to never go back to eating cold, supermarket sushi again. The sushi rolls she purchased for $7.41 tasted like a meal worth twice the amount. On that note, this hack is certainly worth a try.